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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEAST VINE DRIVE STREETS FACILITY PUD PRELIMINARY FIRST NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING - 30 91A - MINUTES/NOTES - CORRESPONDENCE-NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGNEIGHBORHOOD MEETING MINUTES PROJECT: Streets Facility - East Vine Drive (Old Sugar Beet Plant) DATE: March 4, 1991 LOCATION: Bethel Temple Spanish Assembly of God, 600 9th Street PROJECT MANAGER: John Ruiz, Streets Supervisor CITY STAFF: Rich Shannon, Utilities Director Larry Schneider, Streets Superintendent Diane Jones, Deputy City Manager Jack Gianola, Special Projects Manager Ted Shepard, City Planner QUESTIONS, CONCERN, COMMENTS 1. The primary concern of the residents is to keep control of the neighborhoods (Buckingham, Alta Vista, Andersonville). We want to have a say in how the neighborhoods develop and how new development may impact our area. We want to make the neighborhoods desirable places to live and attract new residents who will invest in their property. 2. How much area is the City buying? RESPONSE: The City is considering buying the entire facility that used to be the Sugar Beet Plant. This area is generally bounded by Linden, East Vine, and Lemay. 3. There is a perception that the City will come in, get what they want, and then turn their back on the neighborhoods. We dorri't want -this to -happen. We want the -City to_consider. our needs. We look forward to working with the City because City ownership is preferable to absentee landlords who are not responsive. 4. There are some hard feelings that are still felt towards the City because of past treatment. For instance,/When Ninth Street was changed to Lemay Avenue, nobody was informed or consulted. We had problems with mail delivery and changing our addresses and records. It was a major inconvenience. We hope this is not how the City will treat us now. RESPONSE: The City intends to work with the neighborhood very closely on this project. It is regretable that there are past 1 examples where the City has not been responsive to neighborhood concerns. 5. What is the schedule for the starting up the facility? RESPONSE: The first step will be to work with City Council to obtain funding to buy the property. The second step will be to hire a design team to analyze the site and propose site improvements. The third step will be to process the request through the planning process and the Planning and Zoning Board. Finally, after funding and approvals, construction would begin in 1993. 6. Are there plans to work with the neighborhoods throughout this process? RESPONSE: Yes. It is anticipated that the design team will come up with several concepts that will be modified and refined based on input from the neighborhoods. 7. Why has the City selected this particular site? Aren't there other sites in the City that are suitable? RESPONSE: This site offers several advantages: * The facility needs a minimum of 20 acres, this site has 30 acres. * The City wants to preserve the historical significance. * Proximity to State and County facilities will be convenient for joint projects. * There is good space available for indoor storage. * City ownership would clean up the site. * City trucks -can use County fuel facilites-avoiding _ duplication of fuel storage. 8. If this site has historical significance, would there be an attempt to tie into the Old Town project? RESPONSE: This has not been considered at this time but it sounds like a good idea. 9. The neighborhoods are concerned that the City has the money to buy this facility but does not seem to have the money to construct public improvements such as sidewalks, curbs, 2 gutters, handicap ramps, etc. that would benefit the general area. The area streets have potholes, there are drainage problems, and loose sand never gets swept up. RESPONSE: The Streets Department will be required to construct public improvements that are identified as being necessary to offset the impact of the new -facility. If there are other areas that need improvements, then the City must address these areas independent of the specific project. It is suggested that these concerns be the subject of a separate meeting where all affected City departments can attend. Such a meeting would be beneficial for both residents and the City so problems can be identified and solutions can be considered. 10. Our neighborhoods suffer from heavy truck traffic with the State and County yards also being on East Vine. Also, semi trucks are bypassing Jefferson and College and cutting up Lemay to Conifer. This provides better parking on Conifer for the Ever Open Cafe. With all this truck traffic, new sidewalks are very important for safety and convenience. 11. Sidewalks should not be repaired or constructed with participation from the homeowners. The cost should be borne by the City. In the past, many homeowners thought they were getting their sidewalks repaired by the City but ended up getting a bill for part of the work. This caught many residents by surprise and caused financial hardship. 12. We pay taxes just like everybody else. Why can't we get our roads, sidewalks, and drainage fixed like anywhere else in the City? RESPONSE: Streets, sidewalks, and drainage are all very important concerns. Unfortunately, this particular project will only be able to address specific areas associated with the new facility. Since there are these other concerns, we should address them at a general level with all the City departments in a separate meeting. It wou-1•d--be-very-df-ficult to address these area -wide concerns through this project. 13. What will be on the site? RESPONSE: The Streets facility is proposing the following: * new construction for an administration building * preservation of brick structures * demolition of old yellow buildings and lean-to's * storage of trucks, plows, backhoes, equipment rA * inside storage of sand and salt * outside storage of recycled (crushed) asphalt and gravel 14. Will outside storage be wind blown and unattractive? RESPONSE: Outside storage of recycled asphalt and gravel will be too heavy to be wind blown. These materials will be stored in a shallow pit, protected by berms and concrete. Fine particles like sand and salt will be stored indoors. 15. Won't there be an offensive odor from the asphalt? RESPONSE: No, this will not be an asphalt plant. No odors will be created, just the storage of materials. Recycled asphalt does not have an odor. 16. Will there be fuel stored on the site? RESPONSE: No, the City will use the existing facilities at the County yard. The City and County have a joint agreement to share fuel that is purchased through a shared bid arrangement. 17. We have dust problems on our unpaved streets. Will the truck traffic and the material storage make it worse? RESPONSE: We can look at putting down a layer of recycled asphalt that works well to keep down dust. 18. What about the Lemay bypass? This bypass has been master planned for a long time but has never been built. It seems like the bypass would be in the City's interest so your equipment would not have to get stuck at the present Lemay/Vine intersection. This intersection is terrible with the railroad tracks and people from the north speeding to make the signal at Lincoln. RESPONSE: This is a good comment. One of- the—things—we!11—be _._ required to submit for the approval process is a traffic impact analysis. This study may determine whether or not the bypass needs to be built with our project. 19. Where will the access points be and how many will there be? RESPONSE: Again, this information is has not been determined yet. It is hoped that the traffic impact analysis will provide answers to these questions. 20. We want our neighborhoods upgraded. Don't let our area deteriorate like Commerce City. U A. 21. Generally speaking, we have a lot of truck traffic already in this area. Ranchway Feeds and Miller Brothers Trucking impact our streets. Our streets have poor shoulders, loose sand, potholes, bumpy railroad crossings, and poor drainage. The whole area needs upgrading. We recognize that your project can only address site specific issues but we want to go on record that the City needs to take a comprehensive look at the three neighborhoods and seriously consider repairing and upgrading the streets, and not stick the homeowener with the bill. 21. Will the Streets Department hire from the neighborhood? RESPONSE: This will be difficult for us to commit to at this time but we can look into this and get back to you with more specifics. 22. We want the City to be a good neighbor. We think the City could do a good job in cleaning up the site and maintaining the facility. At this time, it is too early to comment specifically on the proposal because there are no detailed plans. We suggest that another meeting take place with your design team so we can look at the concepts on a more specific basis. RESPONSE: This is a good idea. An architectural firm will be selected in the very near future. This firm will work on site planning, landscaping, and architectural elevations. Also, we will begin the process of the traffic impact analysis. When these plans evolve to the point where they are presentable, we will bring them back to the group for your comments. We expect there to be a lot of plan modifications during the entire process and look forward to having your input. 5